Improvement in brick-kilns



S. M. HAMILTON. lmprovemen in Brick-Kiln.

Patented May 21,1872.

Witnesses Vlmprovemen't in Brick-Kiln l 3 Sheets--Sheeit13.'1 S. M. HAMIVLTN.

-nted May 21,872.

l l l V AM. Hara-Unionville co. .Kfassan/vfs P/eacsssJ 4heated gases orair under UNITED STATES* SILAS M. HAMILTON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

`IMPROVEMENT IN BRICK-mms.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,050, dated May 21],1872; antedaied May 6, 1872u To all whom it may concern: y y Be it knownthatI, SILAsM. HAMILTON, of

the cityr and county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have inventedcertain Improvements in Brick-Kilns; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the annexed drawing making part of this specification, inwhich- Fignre l is a' perspective view of my improved kiln as it appearswhen empty, with the floor removed so as to show the flues underneath itfor the passage of heated air or gases from the furnaces, and showingalso the perforated rear end wall, the steam-generator and its furnace,the pipes for conducting the steam to the chimneys or uptakes, and thefurnaces in which the fuel which burns the brick is placed, and thearrangement of such furnaces with references to the differentcompartments of the kiln. Fig. 2 is also a perspective view, showing theperforated uptakes and the manner of arranging them, the slidingpartitions between the compartments and the manner of operating them,the `doors through which the bricks are passed to and from the kiln, andthe furnaces in which the fuel is burned. Fig. 3 is a plan view, showingthe location of the steam-generator, the furnaces in the front end ofthe kiln,'the uptakes, and the ues for the passage of the the oorfandthe perforated rear wall. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectiononline a' .fr of Fig. 3, showing the method of constructing the finesacross the kiln, the manner of piling the bricks in the kiln,- and thesliding partitions. Fig; 5'is a transverse vertical section, showing theflues under the floor, the perforated uptakes,vand the ropes or chainsand weights for operating the sliding partitions. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the plates or bricks which form the covers of thetransverse iiues. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the block which is tobe inserted in the furnaces where thesteam-pipes enter. Fig. 8 is asectional elevationof the same. Fig. 9 is a perspective view, showingthe manner of applying the plates covering the transverse flues.

Corresponding letters refer to corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to kilns for burning bricks; and it is designedas an improvement upon a series of patented kilns which have precededit, two of which were granted to Silas M. Hamiltomand dated February15,1870, and another to the same party, dated March 22, 1870. l

Experience in the business of constructing kilns for burningbricks hasdemonstrated the fact that the observance of certain rules or laws isnecessary in order that the best practical results shall be arrived at:First, economy of fuel must be provided for, and to this end theconstruction and arrangement of the parts of the kiln must be such as toutilize lall or very nearly all of the heatV arising from the combustionof the fuel burned. Second, provision must be made for dividing the kilninto compartments, so that the surplus heat from one compartment canbeused in expeL. ling the water-,smoke from the green bricks in anothercompartment and in burning them; and to this end the arrangement of theparts must be such that any heated" gases or air Awhich would otherwisepass off into the atmosphere from the compartment in which bricks arebeing burned shall be conducted into a compartment containing greenbricks, and there so distributed as to heat the mass as evenly aspossible. Third, provision must be made for 'an' equable division ordistribution of the heat in the compartment in which, for the timebeing, the bricks are being burned; and for this purpose the arrangementmustbe such that the temperature in the different parts of suchcompartment can be reg ulated at pleasure. Fourth, provision must bemade for the filling of each compartment with green bricks while thetemperature in the other compartments is at any desired height;- and inorder that this may be accomplished tight sliding partitions arefurnished, which effect this result and at the same time admit of thekiln .being thrown into one compart# ment.

The object of this invention is to furnish a kiln which shall meet therequirements above stated; and to this end it consists in a novel:onstruction and arrangement of some of its parts, they-being designedto facilitate the operations abovealluded to, as will be more fullydescribed hereinafter. I

' A A in the drawing refer to the compart'i ments of the kiln, of whichthere may be any number, from `two upward; but for convenience andeconomy'in time I prefer vto construct the kiln with from six to eightsuch compartments, they' being arranged as shown so as to form onecontinuous kiln, some of the compartments of vwhich may be lled andemptied while bricks are being burned in the others. The walls of thiskiln may be made of common bricks or of stone,- or of any other suitablematerial, their thickness being sufficient to give the required strengthto the structure. Al A1 refer to a series of lilues for the passage ofheated air or gases. The office. of these flues is to conduct the heatcaused by the combustionof the fuel in the furnaces of the rearcompartment, while bricks are being burned therein, under the floorofthe kiln, to the 4green bricks in ,the front one., or any ofthe'compartments in rear'of it, for the purpose of drying the bricks4therein or for expelling therefrom the water-smoke. A2 refers to aperforated wall which is built up in the rear end of the kiln in such amanner as to leave a space between it and the outer end wall of thekiln, in order that the heat may pass from the rear compartment to thespace between the walls at all points, and from such spacethrough theflues A1 A1l to the front compartment, or any one in rear of it.

' When the irst compartment is lled with green bricks, and it is desiredto have a portion ofthe heat from the'rear compartment pass under thedoor of the kiln, ajet of steam is admitted into the uptakes in the rearof thefront compartment, which induces a draught through the flues andthe uptakes. Or when it is desirable to take away any of the heat fromthe burning bricks or from the same after they have been burned, capsare placedl upon the upper ends of the uptakes, which are between thefront and rear compartments, and a jet of steam is admitted to the frontones, vwhich has the effect to draw the heat either from the rearfurnaces or from the bricks in the rear compartment through the flues,and thus utilize the heatin' expelling the Water-smoke from the greenbricks in the front compartment. The same operation may be performedwith reference to all of the other divisions of the kiln. A3 A3 refer toperforated chimneys or uptakes, which` maybe made of clay and burnedlike bricks, or they may be made of iron or any other suitable material.These chimneys are to be perforated upon their front sides-and, if foundnecessary, upon their edges-with a series of holes, small holes orapertures extending from a point near their lower ends toa point nearthe upperl surface of the bricks when piled in the kiln for burning, Theposition or 'arrangement of these uptakes with reference to thelines-A1, a-nd to the sliding partitions, is clear-V ly shown in Fig. 3,it being such that their lower ends communicate directly with saidfines,

and that their rear surfaces come nearly in contact with the slidingpartitions, thus, to some extent, forming aguide for such partitions.Arefers to the floor of the kiln, which forms the cover for the fine A1.B B refer to the furnaces of the front compartment, they being locatedin the fr ont wall of the kiln, and supplied with a grate, upon whichthe fuel lies while being burned, and with an ash-pit and doors intheusualmanner. The rear ends of these furnaces, of which there may be anyrequired number in proportion to the width of the kiln, communicate withthe front compartp ment of the kiln so that the heat in passing l fromthem comes directly in contact with the bricks to be burned. There aretwo series of -these furnaces, one above the other, in order that whenthe bricks in the lower portion of the kiln have been sufiicientlyburned the fires' in the lower series may be extinguished, and otherslighted in the upper series, and thus the bricks in the lower portion ofthecom'partment be prevented from being overheated.- B1r B1 refer to aseries ofV furnaces, which are arranged upon the sides of the kiln,there being two double-tier furnaces to each compartmentV of the kiln.These furnaces are constructed, in all respects, like those abovedescribed, and are arranged with one grate above the other, and withtheir inner ends communicating with the' compartment to which theybelong, for the purpose above described. B2 B2 refer to doors orpassages, which are formed in the side walls of each compartment of thekiln, they being of sufficient size to permit aman to walkin or out, or,if desired, to permit of a horse and cart passing in or out, for thepurpose of carrying in or removing the bricks'. G C refer to slidingpartitions, which maybe made of castiron, but which are best when madeof sheetiron. They are to be of sufficient length to extend across theVkiln, or they may be made in sections and held in guides secured to theuptakes, or to the walls of the kiln; their width being such as to causetheir upper edges to be about iiush with the upper surface of the brickin the kiln when their lower edges rest upon the door thereof. Thesepartitions are made to slide up and down in grooves formed in the sidewalls, or .in irons placed thereon for that purpose, or they may be madeto slide horizontally in slots in the walls,they

forming the divisions between the different. compartments. C1 refers toatile or cover,

which is made of such material as lire-bricks are composed of. The formof this tile or cover is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, where it willbe seen that it has one thick and one thin part, the object of which isto have the thick portion form the cover of certain passages,

- which are to be left in the mass of bricks as lly describedhereinafter, while the thinner por-Y tion extends into or onto thebricks as they are piled in the kiln, for the purpose ofkeeping it inplace,its position being clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 9. The transverseIiues above referred to are" formed bythe green bricks as they are piledin the kiln, their positions being shown in the figure last alluded to.The plates or tiles C1 are supported intheir positions by their thinportions, which extend into the mass of green bricks, their oppositeedges bearing against the sliding partitions, which arrangement rendersthem easy of application and removal. C2 refers toa plate of metal, oritmay be of burned clay or of lirebrick,'which has a series of notchesformed in one of its edges, they being so arranged as to permit them toiit upon the edges of uptakes while their under surfaces rest upon thecovers (l1, thus forming atight joint around such uptakes, andpreventing the escape of any heat at these points.

G3 refers to the covering of this kiln, which may be of metal, or ofclay, or any other suitable material. D D refer to ropes or chains,

Y one of which is attached to each end of the sliding plates C, fromwhich point it passes over pulleys D? D1 attached to the roof of thekiln or to posts erected for that purpose, its other end being suppliedwith a weight, D2, in orderthat, when it becomes necessary, the

partitions may be raised up out of theway, and i thus additionalfacilities offered for removing the bricks from the kiln, and also forallowing the heat to pass from one compartment to another. E refers to aroof, which may be placed over the entire kiln, if desired, it beingsupported upon posts,'the lower ends of "which rests in caps or platesofiron placed upon the side furnaces Bl Bl, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,said caps or plates being provided with ilanges for keeping them inposition, the posts being made to support the pulleys or sheaves D1 D1,and at the same time to extend over and shelter the steam-generator. Theposts may be secured upon the top of the furnaces by means of bent rodsbolted to the posts and bent over the furnaces, to the sides of whichthey may be secured in any suitable manner. F refers toa steam-generatorfurnace, it having placed in it a generatorfor the purpose of generatingsteam for supplying jets to induce draught through the dierent parts ofthe kiln. This furnace is located in any convenient position; in thisinstance it is at one end ofthe kiln, and upon the outside thereof. Itis to be supplied with the usual grates and ash-pit, and the generatoris to be furnished with steam-pipes F1 F1, which lead the steam from thedome tothe different points ofthe kiln where it is to be used.

In Figs. 1 and 5 the arrangement of these pipes is clearly shown,iwhereit will be seen that they extend from the dome of the `generator to theupper surface of the wall of the kiln and entirely around the same, withbranches leading to all of the furnaces of the kiln, both above andbelow or only-above or below the fuel, in order that theintensity of thetemperature may be regulated according to the condition .of the burningibricks. There are also kiln, enables the cross ing room enough betweenthem for the placing' therein of a cock or valve with which to regulatethe flow of steam into the uptakes.

The advantage of this particular arrangement of the steam-pipes withreference to the uptakes is that the longitudinal portions thereof,being firmly secured to the side Walls of the conjunction with theirshort branches, which are firmly secured in the uptakes, to form areliable support for such uptakes, and thus aid materially in retainingthem in their vertical position.

F2 refers to bricks or blocks, which have a passage through them for thepassage of steam and air. They are to be placed in the walls of thefurnaces at about the points indicated in Fig. l. The construction ofthese bricks is shown at Figs. 7 and 8, where it will be seen that theaperture through them is funnel-shaped or largest near the ends, inorder that, whenthe steam-pipe enters near the outer end, a space may beleft for the entrance of aY jet of air around said pipes, and so thatthe air and steam may spread or expand as it leaves their inner ends.

The operation of this kiln will be as follows: The parts having beenconstructed and arranged substantially as described, the green bricksare wheeled or drawn through the side doors B2, and so piled in thecompartments as to leave a free circulation of the heat between them,and so as to leave lateral flues, as shown in Figs. 4 and 9, the coversof these iiues being formed as above described and shown in the figureslast referred to. l When the compartments or some of them have thus beenfilled, fires are lighted in the front furnaces B B, and at the sametime in the steamgenerator furnace. When steam has been raised, thevalves leading into the front row of uptakes are opened, and thus heatis caused to pass evenly through the bricks, and the temperature isincreased by the use of the steam-jetsleading to said furnaces to anydesired extent. When the bricks in this compartment are burned orbefore, if necessary, caps maybe placed over the uptakes, and thesteam-jets opened into the next row of uptakes, and the slidingpartitions raised, when the heat from the first compartment will bedrawn into the one in rear of it, and there be utilized in drying and iburning the bricks; and this operation is to be repeated until theentire series of compartments have had their contents burned, thesnrplus heat `from the rear compartment being drawn through the iiuesin` or below the door of the kiln to thefront compartment or to any ofthose in rear of it, except the one in which the bricks are being burnedby means of the steam-jets applied to theuptakes.

or lateral portions in What I claim as my invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a brick-kiln, constructed substantially as shown and described, Iclaim the arrangement of the furnaces, vertically-sliding partitions,perforated uptakes7 and horizontal ilues, substantially in the mannerand for the purpose set forth.

2. I claim the tile or brick G1, when constructed substantially asdescribed, for the purpose of forming the cap or cover for thetransverse lues, herein described.

3. I claim the notched plate or brick C2, in combination with the tileG1 and uptakes A3, substantially as shown and described.

4. The tubular bricks F2, when the aperture is .made flaring from thecenter of the brick toward both sides, as shown, and for the purpose setforth.

' 5. I claim the combination and arrangement of the steam-pipes, thetubular bricks, and the furnaces B1, substantially as shown.

6. The combination and arrangement of the roof E, its supporting-posts,and the socketplates, which secure the posts to the top of the furnacesB1, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony Whereof I have signed my naine to this specication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. i

SILAS M. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

Jos. T. K. PLANT, W. A. Boss.

